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September 7, 2007 |
Innovative Canadian three-wheeler mixes advanced bike and car technology to keep the rider on the road
By Michael Bettencourt
Tom's River, N.J.
 Gazing at the three-wheeled Frankenstein before us—a mechanized monstrosity appearing to derive its parts equally from sport touring motorcycles, ATVs and the fendered wheels of the departed Plymouth Prowler hot rod—the curious beast looks somehow familiar, even as it looks like nothing else on the road.
Yet there’s something magnetic about this mishmash of various transportation ideas. In a couple of hours of test riding around the coastline and back roads of New Jersey, fellow motorists pull up baring big smiles and camera phones. The common refrain of ‘What is it?’ is asked at every stop for gas and at red lights.
It is a Canadian-designed motorcycle that may just usher in a new generation of technologically advanced open-air motoring across North America and Europe. Or it could fizzle out as a brave but overly kooky Canadian business flop.
With two wheels in front and one in back, the Can-Am Spyder Roadster is a creation of Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). The firm was spun off from Ski-Doo maker Bombardier in 2004.
BRP is not the first company to come up with a three-wheeled vehicle for the road (anyone remember motorcycle sidecars?) but it is the first to blend a two-plus-one wheel layout, sport-bike styling and power, automotive safety and security electronic controls, and the unparalleled view of the world that comes from sitting outdoors.
“Paradigm shifting is how this firm started,” said Chris Dawson, vice-president of strategic planning and the head of BRP’s Spyder program. “We wanted to offer something with more security and practicality than a sport bike, but for less money than a convertible.”
The security side of things is the key here: as a three-wheeler, the Roadster doesn’t need two legs on the ground at a light to prevent it from tipping over—although motorcycle riders may have to fight that “feet down” urge—and you can park it on a hill without worrying the Roadster will end up shiny side down on the pavement or, worse, on your legs.
Electronic brains
There are many ATVs with three wheels, although with less radical tricycle layouts, yet the Roadster is no simple road-going version of one of BRP’s Can-Am all-terrain vehicles. What sets it apart from both ATVs and motorcycles, besides looks, are the Roadster’s electronic brains, designed to keep its rider in control. The sophisticated system comes from Bosch and operates in a fashion similar to the technology on four-wheel vehicles. It includes anti-lock brakes, traction control and electronic stability control systems. Anti-lock braking sensors at each wheel read for any discrepancy in wheel speed and cut power to the rear wheel whenever wheel spin is detected.
If that doesn’t help get the rider back on the intended path, as determined by sensors measuring the handlebar’s steering angle and the Roadster’s wheel slip, the system can then brake each wheel individually or brake all of them.
Growing trike market
In Canada, the Can-AmSpyder is officially classified as a motorcycle, so any rider interested in one will need a motorcycle licence. But in some key markets riders can operate these with a regular driver’s licence. Those markets include the states of California, South Carolina and Delaware, plus western Europe outside of Greece. Can-Am officials said these areas hold the best potential for mass-market penetration.
“Hardcore sport bike riders who want knee-scraping thrills are not as interested in the Spyder,” said Dawson, noting the target customers will most likely be married 35- to 55-year-olds who like toys and like to ride in groups.
The three-wheel vehicle concept just may be on the cusp of a major increase in mainstream credibility. European scooter powerhouse Piaggio unveiled its MP3 three-wheeler to North America earlier this year and various automakers have toyed with the idea of offering three-wheeled vehicles, the most recent example being Volkswagen’s futuristic GX3 unveiled at last year’s L.A. auto show. Similar concepts have been shown by Mercedes-Benz, Honda, GM and BMW.
The lack of mainstream manufacturer presence in the three-wheeler space won’t last long, however. Harley-Davidson, the world’s largest producer of motorcycles, announced in June it is planning to bring a trike to market and reportedly filed patent drawings on the one-plus-two wheeled vehicle it’s producing in cooperation with Lehman Trikes. No confirmed arrival time arrival has been set, said Breanna Gaudet, communications manager for Harley-Davidson Canada, although it’s likely to be here by 2009.
“[Three-wheelers] are going to be more mainstream,” Gaudet said. “There’s a market for it for sure, especially with aging bikers and (because of) the desire for security.”
BRP officials said they are already more than halfway to their goal of 2,500 pre-orders for the machines, which start at $18,499. They will be offered in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec in the fall. The rollout will expand to the rest of Canada and across the States by early next year.
By then, buyers will determine whether the Spyder Roadster will be a technologically driven phenomenon or a flop.
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